Sweeper with flexible hood extension at lower front



Feb. 27, 1962 E. F. OBLINGER 3,022,530

SWEEPER WITH FLEXIBLE HOOD EXTENSION AT LOWER FRONT Filed Oct. 27, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. EDWIN E OBLINGER ATTORNEYS Feb. 27, 1962 F. OBLINGER 3,022,530

SWEEPER WITH FLEXIBLE HOOD EXTENSION AT LOWER FRONT Filed Oct. 27, 1958 4 Sheets-$heet 2 34 24 24 34 4 INVENTOR.

EDWIN F OBLINGER flTTORNEYS Feb. 27, 1962 'E. F. OBLINGER 3,022,530

SWEEPER WITH FLEXIBLE HOOD EXTENSION AT LOWER FRONT Filed Oct. 27, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. 9. EDWIN E OBLINGER ATTORNEY Feb. 27, 1962 E. F. OBLINGER 3,022,530

SWEEPER WITH FLEXIBLE HOOD EXTENSION AT LOWER FRONT Filed Oct. 27, 1958 I 4 Sheets-Sheet 4' INVENTOR. EDWIN F OBLINGER 'ATTOR-LVE 3:5

v United States Patent Ohio Filed Oct. 27, 1958, Ser. No. 769,762 1 Claim. (Cl. -79) The present invention relates to a sweeper, such as a lawn sweeper, of the type having a rotating brush, which in cooperation with a hood, causes debris to be lifted from the surface being cleaned and thrown into a debris receptacle.

Sweepers of this type must function properly in lawns in which the grass blades, for example, are relatively long or relatively short, and, such sweeper must function properly on relatively smoother surfaces, such as on gravel or paved walks.

Usually, in such sweeper, the lower end of the rotating brush, which is rotating on an axis at right angles to the forward movement of the sweeper, is moving forwardly, that is as the sweeper is being moved forwardly, the brush rotates counter-clockwise, when viewed from the right side of the sweeper, and of course clockwise, when viewed from the left side of the sweeper. If the hood, which extends forwardly of the brush, does not extend downwardly far enough, some and sometimes most of the debris, instead of being lifted by the brush and thrown upwardly against the interior of the hood, will merely be thrown forwardly of the hood. Too, it will be understood that, when the brush is rotating, a partial vacuum is created by the forward and upward movement of the axially disposed brush bristles, provided, of course, the hood extends downwardly sufficiently to properly impede the flow of air from in front of the sweeper to below the hood. This partial vacuum augments the lifting of the debris, from the surface being swept and augments the further lifting of the debris after it is detached from such surface.

Hoods for sweepers of this type are usually formed of sheet metal and heretofore have been provided with an extension, also formed of a sheet metal. That extension was movable vertically and held in the desired adjusted position. This adjustment was necessary, since, if the grass or lawn was short or if the sweeper was used on a walk, the lower edge of the hood extension had to be relatively low; otherwise the debris would thereby be thrown forwardly of the hood by the brush and the desired partial vacuum would not be created; or, if the grass or lawn was relatively long, it was necessary to raise the hood extension; otherwise the friction between the grass and hood extension would have been of such high degree that it would be extremely difficult for a person to push the same, or if power driven, highly inefficient.

Too, it is desirable to provide for adjusting the height of the rotating brush relative to the surface being swept. In tall grass, it is imperative that the brush be higher, so as to reduce friction between the grass and brush, rather than when the sweeper is used to sweep a short lawn or a cleared walk. Obviously when the brush is adjusted for sweeping tall grass, it would be too high for picking up debris from a short lawn or walk.

In practicing the present invention, a flexible or resilient hood extension is employed. Such extension is of sufficient vertical height to bridge or substantially bridge the space between the lower edge of the hood and the surface being swept when the hood is or hood and brush are in their highest adjusted position. This hood should be sufiiciently flexible so that it readily bends rearwardly includes a frame.

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and so that it substantially floats on the surface being swept, whether it be a walk, short or tall grass.

Further objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side view of a sweeper of the lawn sweeper type, showing the rotating brush in its highest position. Part of the debris receptacle being broken away to show the interior thereof;

FIGURE 2 is a view similar to FIGURE 1 but showing the brush in its lowermost position;

FIGURE 3 is a front view of the lawn sweeper, the scale being twice the size of that shown in FIGURES l and 2;

FIGURE 4 is a view in cross section of the sweeper head and the lower part of the debris receptacle, the section being taken alongline 4-4 of FIGURE 3, the scale being approximately twice that of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a view similar to FIGURE 4, but on a somewhat smaller scale and showing the rotating brush adjusted to the highest position; and

FIGURE 6 is a view similar to FIGURE 5 but showing the brush in its lowest position.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, the sweeper 'is generally shown at 20 and in the main includes a carries a debris receptacle 30, the lower rear portion thereof being provided with an axle 32 for carrying 0ppositely disposed rollers 34.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, and particularly to FIGURES 3 and 4, the head 22 of the sweeper This frame comprises two side plates 36 and 38; these side plates are allochiral. Each of these plates includes a circular portion 40 Whose axis 42 is concentric with the axles 26, and each includes an upwardly extending portion 44 arranged rearwardly of a vvertical plane passing through the axis 42. Each plate includes an inwardly extending ledge 46.

A hood 4a is secured to the ledges 46 by bolts 50 and nuts 52. The hood also includes at its lower end, a reinforcing portion 54; this reinforcing portion includes a forwardly and downwardly extending section 56, a forwardly and upwardly extending portion 57 a downwardly and rearwardly extending section 58, parallel with portion 57, a section parallel with section 60. The hood section 62 angles rearwardly and upwardly from the forward end of section 60 at an angle of substantially 10 degrees to the point C, from the point C the hood is curved on an axis indicated at D, the curve continuing to point E. From a point E the curvature of the hood follows a radius whose axis is at F.

The head 22 also includes the brush 64 which is suitably carried on a rotatingshaft 66. The shaft 66 is disposed rearwardly of the axles 26 and the axis A thereof is arranged parallely of the axes for the axles 26. The brush proper includes a series of bristles either formed of fibers or wires and these rows of bristles are preferably arranged parallel of the axis A of the shaft 66. These brushes are of sutficient length so as to substantially engage the rear side of the section 62 0f the hood adjacent the point B.

The wheels 24, the side plates 36 and 38, the hood 48,

like that shown in the Parker 'et al. Patent Number 2,654,106.

The U-shaped handle 28 includes two parallelly' extending but spaced apart legs 68 and 70. Leg 68 includes a lower section 72 and an upper section 74 which telescope with one another and which are suitably attached to one another by a bolt 76 and a wing nut 78. The leg 70 also includes a lower section 89 and an upper section 82.which are connected with a like bolt and nut. Legs 68 and 79 are bridged by a section 84.

Each of the sections 72 and 80 has a bracket 86 secured thereto by stove bolts 88 and a nut 99. Bolts 88 are also used to support the lower end of a link. Each of these links extends upwardly and forwardly, and is provided with a longitudinally extending slot 94 for receiving a bolt 96. Bolts 96 are secured to bosses 98 formed integrally with and extending outwardly from the side plates 36 and 38. Wing nuts are threaded to receive the bolts 96. To adjust the height of the brush shaft 66, wing nuts lflfi are loosened and then the rear end of the main frame, including side plates 36 and 38 and hood 48, are rotated about the axles 26 of the wheels; this rotation is to raise or lower the brush, to the desired height; after it is positioned at the desired height, the

nuts 100 are tightened to clamp the main frame to the links 93. The stove bolts 88 are provided with square shanks adjacent the heads thereof and these square shanks are received and held against turning by square holes in the bracket 86.

Brackets 36 are also utilized for supporting the front end of the debris receptacle 30. These brackets are each provided with a hole. which receives a rod 102. The upper and forward end of the floor or bottom 164 of the debris receptacle 30 is wrapped around the rod 102., to support the front end of the receptacle. The outer ends of the rod 102 are bent, as at bend 106 (see FIGURE 5), to prevent accidental withdrawal of the rod-from the holes in the bracket 86.

The bottom edge of the side walls 108 and 110 and rear wall 112 of the debris receptacle are suitably secured to the bottom wall or floor 104 of the receptacle. The upper edges of the side walls 108 and 110 are provided with hems 114 for receiving parts of the handle bars or legs 68 and 70, respectively. The upper edge of rear wall 112 is also provided with a hem 116 for. receiving a rod 118. The opposite ends of the rod 118 extend into and are supported by. the bars 68 and 70.

Braces 120 have their lower ends pivotally mounted on the shaft 32 and the upper ends thereof are slotted to. receive bolts 76 and are suitably attached tothe bars' the trajectory is such that no part of the debris will undershoot the lower end of the debris receptacle. In fact in either of these extreme positions, or any intermediate positionof the mainframe, the debris is distributed into the debris receptacle in such fashion that the rear thereof is filled substantially as soon as the front and the intermediate portionsbetween the rear and front are filled.

A strip of sheet met-al 122.,preferably flexible, is connected to the front end of the reinforcing portion 54 of the hood along the line where 56 and 57 and S8 overlap one another, by bolts 124 and nuts 126. This strip ex tends downwardly and then rearwardly as at 128 and forms a backing for flexible material such as a sheet of rubber or fabric 130. This sheet 139 is clamped to the sections 57 and 58 by bolts 124 and '126, there being'a sheet metal strip .132 disposed between the head of the bolts 124 and the strip 130. As'will be seen from FIG- URE 6, the vertical height of the flexible strip 130 is sufficient so as to touch or substantiflly touch the surface over which the sweeper is being moved although the brush is in its lowermost position and the front of the hood is spaced the greatest distance possible from the surface. It will also be observed from FIGURE 5 that, when the brush is in its highest position and the lower front of the hood is in its lowest position possible that the strip 13% is flexed or bent rearwardly, that is, floating on the surface over which the sweeper is being moved.

As previously set forth the vertical height of the flexible strip must be such that the lower edge thereof touches the surface, over which the sweeper is being moved, when the front of the hood is in its highest position as shown in FIG. 6. Yet the lower edge of strip 130 should not be permitted to be engaged by the brush when the front of the hood is in its lowest position, as shown in FIG. 5. Therefore as will be observed from FIG. 5, the sheet metal backing strip 122 for the flexible strip 130 retains the flexible strip sufliciently forward of the brush so that the lower edge thereof does not lie in the path of the upwardly moving brush.

It will be observed from the drawings, particularly FIG. 4, that the flexible extension or strip 130 has a uniform thickness through the space bridged thereby. this manner, said strip will be readily and uniformly bent at any vertical part thereof required to be bent. One illustration of this feature is readily apparent from the disclosure in FIG. 5 which shows how the uniform thickness of the strip provides for bending the strip when the hood is in its lowest position and in which the strip rides substantially on the top surface of the grass.

Thus it is apparent from the foregoing that regardless of the position of the brush and hood, the. strip 130 extends substantially to the surface over which the sweeper is being moved, and that separate adjustment of the vertical height of the strip, heretofore necessary, is eliminated. In this manner, although the front end of the hood is raised to its highest position, the strip 130 forms a barrier for preventing the brush from throwing debris forwardly of the hood, and, regardless of the adjusted position of the hood, the strip 130 impedes the flow of air to the interior of the hood, at the front of the hood, sufliciently so as to permit the rows of bristles to create a partial vacuum at the rear thereof as they move upwardly, and thereby augmenting the lifting of the debris from the surface being swept and augmenting the lifting thereafter. Yet, when the frame is shifted to the position shown in FIGURE 5, the flexible strip 130 merely bends rearwardly, and, being highly flexible, offers substantially noresist-ance between the same for the tall grass over which the sweeper is being moved.

While the form of embodiment herein shown and described constitutes a preferred form, it is-to be understood that other forms may be adopted falling scope of the claim that'follows.

I claim:

A sweeper comprising, in combination, a sweeper head including a hood closed at the front and open at the bottom and the rear; a rearwardly and upwardly extending handle having the lower end thereof pivotally connected with the head; a debris receptacle disposed rearwardly of the head in debris receiving. relationship with the upper portion of the rear of the'hood; axle means disposed transversely of the handleand carried by the sweeper head; front wheels carried by the axle means and disposed on opposite sides of the sweeper head for supporting the sweeper head; a shaft arranged parallelly and rearwardly of the last mentioned axle means and'carried by the within the sweeper head; a brush carried by'the shaft, said sweeper head being pivotally movable about the last mentioned axle means for raising and lowering said shaft and for adjusting the vertical height of the hood, within limits, to

vary the distance between the lower edge of the hood and the surface over which the sweeper is moved; driving connections betweenthe wheels and the shaft for rotating the brush; a flexible extension carried by the head forwardly of and spaced from the lower edge of the hood 5 and extending downwardly, the vertical height of the flexible extension being suflicient to substantially touch said surface when the hood is in its uppermost position; 2,092,230 means for spacing the lower edge of the flexible strip 2,205,249 away from the brush a sufiicient distance to prevent the 10 2,727,264

ship from the being engaged by the brush when the hood is in its lowest position; and means for retaining the head in adjusted position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Thomas Sept. 7, 1937 Fitzgerald June 18, 1940 Dunham Dec. 20, 1955 

